NZ Greens to stand UK-based candidate

In what is
believed to be a first for New Zealand, the Green Party has
selected a UK based candidate to contest this year's general
election.

Celia Wade-Brown, a former Wellington City
Councillor (1994-98) and Green Party candidate in the 1996
NZ election, will campaign throughout UK and Europe from
her home base near Reading, Berkshire.

Announcing Ms
Wade-Brown's selection for the party list, Green Party
Co-Leader Rod Donald, who has been in Bonn, Brussels and
London organising her campaign, said "There are more New
Zealanders living in the UK who are eligible to vote in the
NZ election than in any single NZ electorate."

"Last
time, 4,451 kiwis voted from the UK. We hope to increase
that turn-out significantly. We will be targeting young
voters who have a good appreciation of Green issues from
their travels, plus "the Values generation" - people now
40+ who supported the Values Party - the world's first
Green Party in the 1972, 75 and 78 elections."

Standing a UK based candidate is possible under New
Zealand's system of proportional representation where
voters have two votes - one for their local MP and one for
the party of their choice. Ms Wade-Brown will be
campaigning for the party vote as well as encouraging any
Coromandel-registered voters to re-elect Green MP Jeanette
Fitzsimons.

The NZ Green Party is buoyed up by the
recent successes of European Green Parties in the European,
Belgian and Scottish elections.

The UK Greens now have
two seats in the European parliament as part of the
38-strong Green block.

"There is clearly growing
support for green policies as the world faces threats of GM
food, climate change and corporate globalisation," said
Celia Wade-Brown.

"International issues such as the
destruction of Asian, African and Latin American
rainforests and the right of third world farmers to save
their seeds need to be tackled by MPs with a global
perspective. Well travelled Kiwis have seen the effects of
pollution, poverty and corporate greed first-hand. Now they
can ensure there is a voice in the NZ parliament to address
these challenges.

"Kiwis abroad also cherish our
national parks, fabulous coast, the bush-covered hills and
the threatened birds like kiwi, kakapo and tui. They don't
want their national heritage trashed by logging, pollution,
more roads and GM crops.

"A vote for the Green Party
is a vote to save the best of New Zealand and to give
substance to our clean, green image," she said.

The
Greens say their campaign will make the most of the
Internet, to overcome the geographical spread of tourists,
nannies, shearers, programmers and all the other Kiwis in
UK and Europe.

"We also have on the ground support
from the UK Greens and Green Parties in Europe to run such
things as stalls at sporting events featuring New Zealand
teams," Ms Wade-Brown said. New Zealanders are eligible
to vote in the coming election if they are NZ citizens who
have visited New Zealand in the last three years or New
Zealand residents who have been away from home for less than
twelve months.

The Green Party needs to win an
electorate or 5% of the party vote to see its two MPs
re-elected and more join them. "That's why winning votes in
the UK and Europe is so important to our overall campaign"
said Rod Donald.

Biographical Information - Celia
Wade-Brown

* born 12th July 1956 in London, England

* emigrated to New Zealand in August 1983, lived in Island
Bay, Wellington for 15 years

* married to Alastair
Nicholson, New Zealander from Invercargill

* two sons -
Ramsay (b 10/05/91 and Jonathan (b 12/09/93), at the local
primary school

* has been school-teacher - Science and
Foundation Studies for 11-12 year-olds

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